Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation
While social games such as Zynga’s FarmVille are often positioned as poor gaming experiences or as disguised financial and data extraction processes (Bogost, 2010; Rossi, 2009), this paper considers social games instead as part of a wider regime of social interaction and creative identity work. Soci...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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University of Queensland, School of Journalism and Communication
2015
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| Online Access: | http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=996035294747285;res=IELLCC http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25669 |
| _version_ | 1848751772967895040 |
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| author | Willson, Michele |
| author_facet | Willson, Michele |
| author_sort | Willson, Michele |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | While social games such as Zynga’s FarmVille are often positioned as poor gaming experiences or as disguised financial and data extraction processes (Bogost, 2010; Rossi, 2009), this paper considers social games instead as part of a wider regime of social interaction and creative identity work. Social games, by definition, are located within extensive online social networks. Gameplay is thus situated within a number of overlapping contexts: the game, the broader social network, the material conditions of access, including different devices (mobile or desktop) and different locations. Moreover, given widely discussed differences between social game players and console and PC-based game players (Wohn, 2011: 199), and game play mechanics, these broader contexts further a reading of social gameplay as part of the diverse milieu of everyday life. This paper argues social games are spaces of creative expression, social dynamics and identity co-creation that cannot be understood without their broader contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:58:03Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-25669 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:58:03Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | University of Queensland, School of Journalism and Communication |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-256692017-02-27T14:43:14Z Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation Willson, Michele While social games such as Zynga’s FarmVille are often positioned as poor gaming experiences or as disguised financial and data extraction processes (Bogost, 2010; Rossi, 2009), this paper considers social games instead as part of a wider regime of social interaction and creative identity work. Social games, by definition, are located within extensive online social networks. Gameplay is thus situated within a number of overlapping contexts: the game, the broader social network, the material conditions of access, including different devices (mobile or desktop) and different locations. Moreover, given widely discussed differences between social game players and console and PC-based game players (Wohn, 2011: 199), and game play mechanics, these broader contexts further a reading of social gameplay as part of the diverse milieu of everyday life. This paper argues social games are spaces of creative expression, social dynamics and identity co-creation that cannot be understood without their broader contexts. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25669 http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=996035294747285;res=IELLCC University of Queensland, School of Journalism and Communication restricted |
| spellingShingle | Willson, Michele Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| title | Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| title_full | Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| title_fullStr | Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| title_short | Social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| title_sort | social games as partial platforms for identity co-creation |
| url | http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=996035294747285;res=IELLCC http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25669 |